Modern airplane fuselages are often constructed using fiber composite materials, generally carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics materials. An airplane fuselage conventionally comprises a plurality of skin portions which are interconnected to assemble the airplane fuselage. To fix the skin portions together, riveting methods are conventionally used, this often being required for certification or authorisation.
To manufacture a rivet connection for connecting two carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics material skin portions, in a method known to the applicant through-holes are introduced to the skin portions using a manually positioned drilling template and a hand-operated power drill.